Upstairs Laundry

Just a few years ago my wife and I set out to  purchase our first home.  We'd saved up some money and thought that the market was in a down swing, meaning we would be advantageous to buy.  Unfortunately, we later found out that the market on homes had just started to drop and we would still loose thousands of dollars on the value we ended up paying for our home. 

But while we were out and about looking for a home to purchase and make our own, there was one feature that we didn't find enough off.  That feature was upstairs laundry.  I'm a huge fan of not having to walk my dirty clothes down to the basement or even down from my bedroom to another floor to do the wash.  I'm a firm believer that you should be able to change out of your dirty clothes, and simply throw them into the wash.  Having this on the same level of the home as my bedroom is key.  Of all the 40+ homes we looked at, this feature was only available in one.  It is also the only home we ended up purchasing. 

I'll be honest and admit that its not the only reason we purchased the home.  FIOS TV and internet as part of the HOA and many of the other benefits and features the home offered made it a quick and easy decision for us.   But the upstairs laundry made it just that much easier to make the decision. 

Of course while we were looking we did see a number of washer dryer combo sets and other laundry approaches in the various homes that we looked at but none offered the convenience found with upstairs laundry.  Settling for a different approach would have frustrated me daily.  I'm glad I could find upstairs laundry that fit my needs. 

What home feature is of most importance to you?  What would put you over in terms of making a home a must buy, or a home to completely avoid?  Let us know in the comments what you'd like to see in your next home.  I know that my next home will include an upstairs laundry room.  I can't ever go back now!.